"You two are dating, aren't you?" I said.
Jason and Liza both froze. Gotcha!
Hunter, Scott, and Lia looked at them.
"Really?!" Lia asked, her eyes wide. "Since when?!"
The two had been sneaky, keeping their relationship a secret. I knew just who to blame for that. I focused my attention on Stefan. He studiously avoided my eyes.
"Stefan," I said. He cursed under his breath, the noise of the cafeteria swallowing his words. "I remember you and Lia had a bet about when these two would start dating. You wouldn't possibly have anything to do with them keeping it a secret in order to win the bet, wouldn't you?"
Lia gasped. She swung her dark gaze to Stefan. "You cheating ass!"
Stefan glared at me. "Do you have proof?"
I looked at Jason. He cleared his throat awkwardly. Liza opened her mouth. Jason looked at her, blinking his honey eyes like a giant puppy. It worked like a charm on Liza. She pursed her lips and shrugged at me. No help there. I bet Stefan gave Jason something he wanted in order to get his cooperation.
"I don't need proof. I know you," I told my brother.
Scott snapped his fingers. "So that's where the new game went-"
"Scott," Stefan groaned. I grinned. There it was.
"So you gave him the new PS game in exchange for keeping it a secret to win the bet," I said. Jason threw his head back and groaned.
"I can't believe you, you sneaky asshole," Lia grumbled. "Well, I win the bet."
"You just had to open your big mouth, Sapph," Stefan said. "You just can't keep a damn secret."
I narrowed my eyes at him. He wanted to play. Fine. "I can keep secrets. I've kept that steamy golf folder on your laptop a secret until now."
Stefan's face turned a lovely shade of red. It took everyone a second to realize what it was, then the boys guffawed, slapping the table and all. Hunter chuckled.
"Who keeps porn folder these days, dude!" Jason said through his tears.
Lia and Liza sputtered, only now realizing what it meant. I raised my chocolate milk as a toast towards Stefan. "The next time you try to cheat Lia out of something, you better think again."
Lia hugged my arm and kissed my cheek. "I love you, you know that."
"I know. I love you, too."
"More than Hunter?" She asked. I jabbed my elbow in her side. I glanced at Hunter. He looked like he didn't hear her. Phew.
"How did you even know we're dating?" Jason asked, abandoning all pretense and throwing his arm around Liza's shoulder.
"Your mom told me," I said. "She called me yesterday to check in on me, and you guys came up in the conversation."
Jason huffed. "I'm glad it's out in the open now."
"Hehehe," Lia laughed an evil laugh. She pointed at Stefan. "I'll drop off my homework later. You better do it properly."
"Fine," Stefan grumbled.
Stefan was the object of the joke during the rest of lunch. I didn't feel sorry for him. He deserved that.
"We're going shopping tomorrow," Lia said as we headed out of the cafeteria, her arm linked with Liza's.
"I can't during the day," I said.
"Why- oh, the shelter?"
"Yep."
"We can put it off to Sunday, then," Liza said.
"Sure."
We parted ways. Hunter and I went our own way. Hunter looked pensive- Well, more pensive than usual.
"You should come with me to the shelter," I said. "I think you'll like it."
"Yeah?" He glanced at me.
I nodded and slipped my hand into his, linking our fingers. "Yep. Come along."
"Alright," he mumbled, squeezing his hand around mine. I smiled and swung our hands.
*** **** ***
The gym wasn't full that evening. There were maybe four or five people other than Hunter and me.
I was beating out my frustration of not having any snacks after getting out of school- Hunter was serious about turning my diet healthier. The sandbag bore the brunt of my temper.
Steve was working with Hunter. As time went by, he did it more often. The attention he gave Hunter reminded me of how he used to be with Brandon before he went pro.
Did Hunter want to go pro as well? He'd said he didn't know what he wanted to do in the future. But he seemed to enjoy this. I should ask him about it later.
I punched the sandbag harder. It didn't swing nearly as much as when Hunter usually hit it, but comparing my arms and Hunter's was like comparing a toothpick to a tree trunk.
"Good evening, suckers!"
I turned upon hearing Brandon's cheerful voice. He strolled in through the gym doors. Emma, sitting behind her desk with her face stuck in a book, barely glanced up. Brandon stopped by her desk and spoke to her. Damn it. What were they saying? My curiosity was killing me.
Brandon looked like he was doing all the talking. Poor guy.
My arms turned to jelly. Breathing heavily, I unstrapped my gloves and tossed them aside then took a big swig of my water, downing half the bottle in one go.
Hunter was still punching the crap out of Steve's mitts. I went to sit down on the ground nearby and just took them in.
Hunter's dark eyes were sharp, his entire body glistened with sweat under the artificial lights of the gym. His dark hair stuck to his forehead. He had ditched his t-shirt earlier, and his upper body was bare. With every punch, those carved muscles rippled, the thuds of his hits echoing in the big space. He'd put on muscle since he first started boxing here. A few girls in the gym always gave him hungry looks, and I could see why.
Emma was right. I was one lucky bish.
"Alright, take five," Steve said, lowering his hands. His arms were shaking a little. Holding mitts for other people was no easy feat. Holding mitts for Hunter must be excruciating, specially since Steve wasn't getting any younger.
Breathing like he'd just ran a marathon, Hunter crouched, his gloved hands on his knees. Brandon abandoned Emma and sauntered over. He saw me and grinned.
"Hey, Baby!" He called and jogged over. Dressed in a black t-shirt that almost burst at the seams and basketball shorts, he looked handsome with his blond hair and boyish grin.
"Hey, Brandon," I said, too tired to even get up. Hunter glanced at him. Brandon didn't notice. He reached me and scooped me up, throwing me over his shoulder.
"Hey!" I said, slapping his butt. "Put me down, you brute."
"Say you love me first," he said, pinching the back of my leg. With a grunt, I straightened my upper half and pulled on his hair.
"Ow, ow, ow! Fine," he said, dropping me unceremoniously on the ground. Brandon stood over me, his grin wide. Hunter loomed behind him, the dark look in his eyes didn't bode well for Brandon.
Uh-oh. I knew that look, and it didn't bode well for Brandon.
"I'm fine," I said. Hunter glanced at me and nodded. Brandon finally realized there was someone else around and looked over his shoulder at Hunter. Hunter's look didn't get any better.
"What are you looking at like that? You gotta a problem?" Brandon said, turning to face Hunter. I scrambled to my feet and kicked the back of Brandon's knees. He didn't go down, unfortunately.
"Stop glaring at my boyfriend," I told Brandon, standing between the two guys.
Brandon's eyebrows hiked up, and he looked Hunter up and down. I stood next to Hunter, deliberately brushing my arm against his. He sighed and looked away from Brandon.
"Boyfriend? Since when did babies date?" Brandon said.
I gagged. "Okay, you guys need to stop saying disgusting things. I'm not a baby."
"You'll always be the Baby here," he said, then focused on Hunter again. "Isn't he a little too..."
"What?"
"Too big for you."
I gave Brandon a bored look and flipped him off, cursing under my breath.
"No cursing in the gym," Steve said, coming closer. I gaped at him. How did he even hear me?
Steve looked between Hunter and Brandon, a glint in his eyes. "Brandon, go warm up. I want you in the ring with Hunter."
"You sure?" Brandon said, eying Hunter up and down. "I don't want to go to jail for assaulting a minor."
Steve rolled his eyes and walked away. "Go warm up, boy."
Brandon gave me a wink and jogged to the running tracks through the back door.
"Who's he?" Hunter rumbled, scowling Brandon's way.
"That's Brandon," I said. "He's professional boxer. He used to train here before going pro."
"You're... close?"
I blinked. Oh. Then I grinned. "Are you... jealous?"
Hunter scowled and grunted, unstrapping his gloves. I chuckled and poked his side. It was like poking a rock.
"Brandon is like a big brother," I said. "I've known him since I was a brat eating dirt and snot."
He grunted, dropping his gloves aside. He picked up the water bottle next to his towel and downed it in one go.
"Also, he's in love with Emma," I added. Hunter paused, then swallowed the rest of his water and glanced back at Emma.
"I see."
I reached up and pinched his cheeks. "You're so cute when you're jealous," I cooed.
He scowled at me, but didn't pull his face away from my claws. So I gave him a quick kiss. Well, it was supposed to be quick. But his arms came around me and I melted into him, forgetting where we were.
Someone whistled. Hunter and I pulled apart, his arms still wound around me. His face lost its grim look. I wrinkled my nose. "You stink."
He smiled and hugged me tighter, rubbing his face all over my hair. I tried getting away in vain.
"Ew!" I said, although I was about as sweaty as he was.
"Alright, love birds, settle down!" Steve called from the ring. "Hunter, get your ass in here."
Hunter squeezed me to him one last time and kissed my hair, then released me.
"Yes, coach," Hunter said, picking up his gloves.
I walked beside him to the ring. "Brandon is pretty good. Be careful of his left hook."
"Okay," he mumbled. So far, Hunter had sparred with several guys in the gym, and he breezed through them. But they were all amateurs. Brandon was good at boxing. He was more than good.
Hunter jumped into the ring and strapped on the headgear Steve handed him.
Brandon strolled in through the backdoor, wrapping his hands, and jumped into the ring as well.
The few people in the gym glanced at him, at Hunter, then abandoned their workouts and came to watch. Even Emma gave up her book and came to stand beside me. "They're fighting?"
I nodded. "Steve's idea."
"Hmm." Her eyebrows puckered. "Hunter is good, though."
"Are you worried about Brandon?" I asked.
She glared at me. "I'm not."
She totally was. I grinned and wiggled my eye brows.
"Whatever." With a huff, she turned around and walked back to her desk.
Steve handed Brandon the headgear.
"No way," Brandon said, making a disgusted face. "I'm not wearing that."
Steve shook his head. "Your decision."
Then the match began. I stood down there, on the edge of my metaphorical seat, as Hunter and Brandon stalked each other. Steve stood in the corner of the ring, following the two boxers' movements.
Standing in the ring together, they were almost the same size. Brandon was maybe a bit wider, but they must be in the same weight class.
"Come on, kid," Brandon taunted. "Are you going to throw a punch or should I get Sapph up here to fight for you?"
Ugh. I loved Brandon, but he was such an ass.
Hunter, however, didn't take offense to Brandon's words. I might even have spotted a small smile behind his headgear. "If you get her up here, she'll make you wish you fought me instead."
Okay. I might have swooned a little at his words. Damn it, he was smooth.
"You got yourself a keeper, Sapph," Brandon said. Then lunged forward.
Hunter kept his guard up, dodging and guarding the best he could against Brandon's attacks. Brandon grinned. He looked like he was enjoying himself.
Hunter ducked under Brandon's cross and stepped inside his guard, throwing a right hook that connected to Brandon's side. Brandon's face pinched. He danced out of reach, and Hunter resumed his guard, moving in place much like Brandon did.
"Jamison's pretty good," someone said behind me.
He was. But I knew Brandon. I'd watched him fight many times. He wasn't taking this seriously.
Hunter's eyes were sharp, following Brandon's every move. Brandon attacked first again. And again, Hunter managed to get under his guard and threw an uppercut that almost connected. Someone whistled.
Brandon frowned, mumbling something under his breath. Then he moved. My brows raised. He'd gotten faster since the last time I'd seen him. He actually managed to hit Hunter in the head and the side.
Okay. Now he was taking this seriously.
But Hunter wasn't an easy target. His counter attack caught Brandon properly in his chin.
Steve rang the bell, announcing the end of the first round.
Hunter and Brandon reluctantly stepped apart. I blew out a breath I didn't know I was holding. I feel a stinging in my palms and glance at them. My nails had left half moons on my skin from how tight my fists had been clenched.
Hunter immediately turned to Steve. "I want the headgear off."
Brandon leaned on the ropes, catching his breath. He looked over his shoulder at Hunter with a small frown.
Steve looked between Hunter and Brandon for a while. Then sighed and unstrapped Hunter's headgear. Hunter wiped his face, glimmering with sweat, and turned to lean on the rope right in front of me. I uncapped my water bottle and gave it to him. He balanced it between his gloves and took a long sip, then threw the rest over his head. He shook his head to fling the water off. Droplets clung to his black lashes, glittering like crushed diamonds. He looked so handsome it made my heart ache.
"Thanks," he said, giving me the empty bottle back.
"Be careful," I said, worried.
He smiled and crouched down, reaching through the ropes to gently bump my forehead with his gloved fist. "I'll be fine."
"Alright, kids!" Steve called. "Get your lazy asses back here."
Brandon won, but it was a close call.
After the fight, Steve looked so giddy, it was a wonder he didn't start squealing. He pulled Hunter aside and spoke to him, no doubt going over the fight. After taking the headgear off, Hunter's boxing had improved ten folds. He moved smoothly, lithely, almost predicting every attack before Brandon launched it.
Still, Brandon had been boxing longer than Hunter, and had had more professional matches. He won.
"Your boyfriend is a monster," Brandon said, plopping down next to me. I'd changed my clothes and was waiting for Hunter. He was in the locker room after Steve released him from his lecture.
"Hey, just because you're sour you almost lost doesn't mean you can call my boyfriend a monster," I said.
He scowled. "I didn't almost lose. Besides, I meant it as a compliment."
"A compliment?"
"Yeah. I always thought that gifted people are lucky, you know, but hard workers can do just as good, if not better sometimes," Brandon said, looking at the ring as if seeing something I couldn't. "You know what's scarier than talented people?"
"What?"
"Talented people who work hard," Brandon said. "According to Steve, your boyfriend does. He's going to be one scary asshole if he decides to go pro."
Hunter ambled out of the hallway leading to the locker room. I stood up, Brandon followed suit. Hunter stopped in front of us.
"Ready?" he asked, looking at me.
Brandon threw an arm around my shoulders and grinned at Hunter. "A little salty about losing, kid?"
Hunter glared at him.
"Brandon, stop antagonizing my boyfriend," I said, pinching his arm.
Brandon grinned and squeezed his arm around my neck in a loose choke hold. "Do you want to go pro, Hunter?"
Hunter adjusted the strap of his backpack and shrugged. "Maybe."
"You should," Brandon said. "If you don't mind losing some of your boyish good looks, that is."
Brandon ruffled my hair and let go of me. "I'll see you later, Sapph. Keep an eye on your boy."
He walked away, stopping right by Emma's desk again.
Hunter and I got out of the gym. I didn't speak until we were in his car. I got two granola bars out of my backpack and gave one to Hunter. We tore into our snack, both ravenously hungry.
"Do you want to?" I asked around the load of granola in my mouth. "Go pro, that is?"
"I don't know yet. Maybe?" He spoke more elegantly than I did even with his mouth full.
"Do you like it?" I asked.
He immediately nodded, taking another big bite. It was his last, while I was barely halfway through my bar. How did boys eat so fast?
"You could give it a shot, then," I said. "Try and see if you like doing it."
"How?" He asked. "How do I go about it?"
"I think you should be an amateur boxer first," I said. "You should get your boxing license. I don't know if there's an age requirement. We could ask Steve."
"I turn eighteen soon," he said.
"Then I guess it shouldn't be an issue."
He nodded.
"Or do you want to go into photography?" I asked.
He sighed. "I don't know. Maybe? I think I like photography better, but... we'll see."
He'd been sending me all the pictures he took. The last one had been of a bird perched on a tree. The setting sun behind the bird and the tree made them look like they were black shadows haloed by sunset.
Hunter's lips stretched into a soft smile as he glanced at me.
"What? Do I have granola on my face" I asked, touching my lips.
He shook his head. "Nothing. I'm just glad I found you."
--- ---- ---
See you next Sunday!
Much love <3 <3 <3
M.B.